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+---- Thread: *An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott (/showthread.php?tid=24912)
*An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott - GuitarMaster116 - 08-09-2020
Today, we asked new Tijuana Luchadores rookie Adam Mellott in for an interview. He gladly complied and came down to our office in Tijauna, Baja California in Mexico to speak with our interviewer. Here is a transcription of the full interview. Enjoy.
Start Interview:
Interviewer – Hello! Come over this way and have a seat.
Adam Mellott – Thank you very much (proceeds to sit down)
Interviewer – So how are you doing this evening
Adam Mellott – I’ve been doing really well actually, how about yourself?
Interviewer – Oh I can’t complain, can’t complain. I mean I am sitting here with a brand new, up and coming rookie for our very own Tijuana team, so needless to say I am very excited.
Adam Mellott – Well I wouldn’t say up and coming quite yet, but thanks for the compliment. I am very excited as well. I can’t wait to play for Tijuana.
Interviewer – And Tijuana can’t wait to see you play. How are you liking Tijuana so far?
Adam Mellott – Oh its been great. So far, I am loving the team and all the guys in it. Everyone has been super nice and welcoming and has been helping me as much as they can to try and help me succeed. It also doesn’t help that this was the team I wanted to play for the most was Tijuana, so being apart of this organization is like a dream come true.
Interviewer – Well that’s all good to hear, but I was actually talking about how you were liking the city!
Adam Mellott – Oh!
(Interviewer and Adam Mellott both laugh)
Adam Mellott – Well the city is very beautiful and very lively, but I’ll be honest, it is super-hot here compared to Virginia in the states. I also just got here a couple of days ago, so I haven’t had much of a chance to explore the city, especially since the team has been preparing for the preseason. But I plan on visiting some of the sights like the Tijuana Cultural Center and the downtown area, and also getting a bunch of really good food and drinks.
Interviewer – Are you sure you need more food? I mean you are already a massive human being as it is!
(Adam Mellott laughs)
Adam Mellott – Its not as easy as you think to keep my weight up. Plus, I love food and trying different types of it. Also, I heard there was some pretty good beer here as well so I think that will help me keep my weight up!
Interviewer – Well you are in good hands here in Tijuana, not only are we the craft beer capital in Latin America, but we also have the best tacos in the world.
Adam Mellott – Hell yeah, sounds like I will be a happy man here. Great food, great drinks, great city, and a great team. What’s not to love?
Interviewer – You definitely got drafted to a great place!
Adam Mellott – Tell me something I don’t know.
Interviewer – Now let’s get back on track here. Now Mr. Mellott, lets back it up a little bit real quick. You said a minute ago how Tijuana was the team you wanted to be drafted by the most, why exactly is that?
Adam Mellott – Well that is an easy question, it is because of the scout CalvinGolladay.
Interviewer – Could you elaborate?
Adam Mellott – Sure thing, when I first got called and invited to join the International Simulation Football League, I stated talking to some scouters and GMs from the Developmental Simulation Football League teams. I had some great conversations with a lot of them and it was really a great experience talking with all of them, but some of the conversations I had with the scouts and GMs were just… I don’t know, pretty standard and by the book, you know what I mean? They asked me the stereotypical questions like what my goals were, if I was willing to position swap, how I plan to make money in the league, stuff like that.
Adam Mellott - Now I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy those conversations, I know they have a job and have to talk to hundreds of rookies everyday to try and decide who to draft, so I completely understand why a lot of my conversations were like that, and I am super thankful for every scout and GM that reached out to speak with me personally. But there were a few scouts and GMs who went completely out of there way to have a conversation with me. Sure, they asked me the same questions the others did, but I also just had normal conversations with them as well. They took the time out of their schedules to talk to me, and I mean really talk to me. Get to know who I was, what I enjoyed and did not enjoy, and also repeatedly helped me out and answered any questions I had. I got to know more about them and the team, while at the same time they learned more about me. Out of all of the scouts and GMs I talked to though, the conversations I had with CalvinGolladay were by far the best I had. So naturally, the team he represented was the one I wanted to go to the most, which ended up being the Tijuana Luchadores.
Interviewer – And now here you are in Tijuana, I bet on draft night you were crossing your fingers for them to draft you huh?
Adam Mellott – You have no idea, every time they were on the clock, I kept holding my breath hoping they would pull the trigger and draft me. I can’t say I knew they were going to draft me or not, but when they finally did, I was really elated.
Interviewer – Finally after waiting so long, on august sixth and in round eight at pick sixty-two, you were drafted by the Tijuana Luchadores. Did you feel like you should have gone higher?
Adam Mellott – I actually didn’t expect to go so high in the first place. There was around one hundred and forty-one people being drafted that night, and most of the teams from my understanding needed defensive talent really bad. That is why defense was flying off the board early. I really expected to be closer to being picked at one hundred, so I was pretty surprised when they chose me at pick 62. But hey, I’m not complaining!
Interviewer – Now how about all the other teams who passed on you? How do you feel about them?
Adam Mellott – Wow, are you trying to provoke me into saying mean things to other teams?
(Adam Mellott chuckles while the interviewer smirks)
Interviewer – I’m just trying to see what your mindset was that night. I’m sure it was one of the biggest nights of your life.
Adam Mellott – Yeah you got me there, it definitely was. Coming out of college I assumed my football career was over, so being drafted by a team to play football as a career was a dream come true. As for how I felt by the others? I can’t really say, I mean yeah, I guess I got a little bit more disappointed as more and more players went off the board before me, how could I not? But like I said before, I came into the draft with expectations that I would be going closer to one hundred than where I actually went. But I’m not going to speak ill of any of the other teams just because they didn’t draft me. But what I will do is try and work my hardest to make Tijuana glad they drafted me, and I want the rest of the league to think I was a steal in the eight rounds. That might be hard to do since I am an offensive tackle, so I am not really at the flashiest position, but I am still at one of the most important.
Interviewer – Well said, lets hope your hard work payoffs and you can become a premier offensive tackle in the league. I’m betting on you!
(Adam Mellott laughs)
Interviewer – Now just because I am curious to what your answer would be, what if Tijuana didn’t draft you that night and you weren’t hear right now? What if you were drafted by a different team, in another city, giving an interview similar to this one there, what team would you have wanted that to be?
Adam Mellott – If I didn’t get drafted by Tijuana? Well ideally, I’d hope they would have picked me even at a later pick, but if not, my second team I wanted to go to the most was probably the Norfolk Seawolves.
Interviewer – Ah! Interesting! You do realize they are in your conference correct?
Adam Mellott – Yeah, yeah, I realize they are now supposed to be like mortal enemies and stuff but man even though Calvin is the man and he was the best scout I talked to, JOEB was by far the best GM. Just a super friendly guy, super helpful, he even invited me in to talk to some of the other players in the team. I am really happy I am with Tijuana, but if I couldn’t be with them, then I’d definitely have to pick Norfolk.
Interviewer – Makes a lot of sense, seems like you really enjoy those one on one conversations with people?
Adam Mellott – Yeah man, I really do. Its always great when two parties come together to do a job, but then it just kind of branches out from there and the conversation becomes more than just the job, and more about individuality.
Interviewer – I completely understand. Now you just said that you thought your football career was over before getting the call about joining the International Simulation Football League, why do you say that?
Adam Mellott – Well to be completely honest, I did not get much playing time in college at all. The only season I fully started was my senior year, and although I did eventually have a good year, I started off not very well since I had very few downs played before that year. I eventually did figure it out, but it was too late. There was some other offensive lineman who had better years and got all the awards, and with my lack of experience, I kind of faded away from the public eye.
Interviewer – To be honest, I actually didn’t really know much about you at all before coming into the league, I can see why now though from the story you just told me. How come you only started your last year?
Adam Mellott – Well its kind of a long story. I wasn’t very good and barely knew the game in high school, so I basically rode the bench my whole high school career. That led to me not getting a scholarship at any colleges. During my senior year of high school up to my freshman year of college I realized my love for the game and started to actually try to really learn and understand it. I started studying tape of the pros and working out to get strong enough to be a college level offensive lineman. I was at Virginia Tech, and for my first two years I didn’t play. Year 3 came around, and the line came up with a bunch of injuries, so that same year they held tryouts which I attended, and lo and behold, I finally made the team.
Interviewer – Then how come you didn’t play your junior year?
Adam Mellott – Well you see, it ain’t easy learning a whole playbook and system right off the bat. It also didn’t help that they held tryouts just so they would have offensive line depth, not new starters. So, I again sat on the bench that year and only had a couple of snaps throughout my junior year.
Interviewer – Then how did you end up becoming a starter your senior year?
Adam Mellott – Well after a year of learning the system, being in the program, doing the normal workouts, and the starting left tackle being drafted, there was a position battle in the preseason for the starting position which I ended up winning. Then I became the full time left tackle.
Interviewer – Wow! What a fascinating and interesting story. It is a very rags to riches type story, is it not?
Adam Mellott – Eh, I wouldn’t go that far. There is still a lot for me to learn, and it is very true that I am coming into the league with a lot less experience than a lot of the people who got drafted.
Interviewer – If that is the case, how are you going to counteract all of these people who have way more experience than you?
Adam Mellott – Well, I guess I will just need to work my butt off as much as I can. I’ve gone most of my life being pushed aside and forgotten about, I’m ready to push back and show the league and the world what I can do. Tijuana saw something in me when they drafted me, and I for damn sure don’t want to prove them wrong in drafting an unknown player like me.
Interviewer – Very inspirational stuff. I’m sure many people, myself included, will keep close watch on you this season to see how you fair in this league. Speaking of the league, the preseason starts in a couple of days, you excited?
Adam Mellott – Definitely. I haven’t played football in such a long time, so I am just super excited to get out there and play. I know preseason doesn’t matter in the long run, but at least I can just go out there, have fun, and knock some of the rust off.
Interviewer – Okay, and what about your goals for this season? Actually, your goals for your career?
Adam Mellott – Well, for this season I just kind of want to prove to the fans, my team, and myself that they can rely on me to get the job done and play at a very high level. I also just want to leave the season knowing that Tijuana made the right decision in drafting me. For my whole career though? Well I guess is to just make a name for myself. I’ve spent the majority of my football career standing idly by on the side lines watching other people be great. Now looking back at those times, I start to think why can’t that be me? Why can’t I be great? So now that is exactly what I am to do. I aim to no longer be pushed into the back and forgotten about, I aim to be a huge wall that will consistently get in peoples way so they are forced to remember me, and I aim to turn some heads.
Interviewer – Those are some great and admirable goals. I sincerely hope you are able to achieve them all in this league. Thank you so much for coming down and speaking to us today, it was great.
Adam Mellott – Thanks for having me, it was a blast!
Interviewer – Thank you. Now is there anything else you would like to say before we sign off?
(Adam Mellott leans back in his chair and thinks for a moment)
Adam Mellott – Be ready.
Interviewer – Thank you again for coming in, good luck in the league, and get a bunch of pancakes for us!
End Interview.
Word Count: 2576
RE: An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott - mithrandir - 08-09-2020
We are so glad you are on our team and are excited to see what you're going to do this year!
RE: An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott - CalvinGolladay - 08-09-2020
Great read, and thanks for the kind words! We were stoked to land you, now it's time to rebuild the Tijuana wall
RE: An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott - Jay_Doctor - 08-09-2020
Future Tijuana OL legend in the making
RE: An interview with New DSFL player Adam Mellott - GuitarMaster116 - 08-10-2020
Thanks everyone for the kind words! I want to make sure one day the league knows that I was a steal in the 8th round.